We must reach back,
and reaching, grab past
ancient scars, old indignations,
past shackles and chains,
back to Mali, Songi, Timbuktu,
back to civilizations upon which
all civilizations were built:
back to us.

We must distill and sift our selves/lives
until the dregs, the filth, the worst
that can be us
has settled to the bottom
of us.

We must become our ancient, cultured selves:
must become moral, decent, learned persons.
doesn't matter too much if you are a child of Ham,
or an original man from the Tribe of Shabazz:
we must become that first person;
not the primitive, uncut self,
but the pure self, essence self.

let us reach back to a better day
a better way to be
that we might see
a better you
a better me
let us reach back to a time
...a good time
when love was fine
and the future was mine
to mold into what i wanted it to be
now...we've got the streets trying to teach me
ME.
let us reach back
let us teach black
let us be the black people proud
that your fore parents were
when they screamed...
"SAY IT LOUD..."
let us reach back
HERE...
take my hand.